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you most likely can if it is a short, and there is a complete path to Ohm, but if it is just a break, and there is not a complete path, then what is there to measure?

I know of under ground wires, that have shorted to earth and have had the location estimated close by Ohms readings, measure from both ends and using the ohms readings take the ratio of the two readings and transfer to foot estimate,
If only one side can be measured, taking a known reading of a given distance of the same materails, one should be able to do simular,

but it would only be an estmate,

Push sticks/blocks Save Fingers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good."
attributed to Samuel Johnson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PUBLIC NOTICE: Due to recent budget cuts, the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil...plus the current state of the economy............the light at the end of the tunnel, has been turned off.

Comment

Thanks. Is there a particular equation for a known material and distance? My a frame will be useless on this particular wire. It is a 500' cable and I could afford to lose 50' if needed just so I didn't have to get the TDR.

Comment

all I am trying to say is if you have a 100" length one can test, and you can determan the resitance of the retrun path,
(earth or other wire) of the same known distance, and it reads XX.x ohms, then if the reading you get is halve of that value, you can make a guess that the short is about 50 feet out or if it is double, then it may be about 200 feet,

Like I said I have seen it done on a break on a electrical line that was buried where some how it was damaged, and they used an Ohm reading on the line to ground from both ends and came with in about 10 feet of break, on a direct bury line, about a 1200' run on a direct bury line, that ran from the water plant to the wast treatment plant, in MT,

May be this should have been my first question, now what are you calling an A frame?

(at first I was thinking a building and power wire,) but from your second post, I am guessing it is diffrnet,
(a cabin/building, a land measurment tool, a land contour lay out tool, a portable lifitng hoist, a bumper tow hitch, a deivice to pull stumps, or a deivice to help pull up a tower,) I am guessing none of the stated.

I am coming to the conclusion that your talking about a Earth Contact Frame which is used in locating,
but I am wondering if a wire tracer, that is used on phone cable. many are under $50, could locate the break in the cable, (I have never used one).

Push sticks/blocks Save Fingers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good."
attributed to Samuel Johnson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PUBLIC NOTICE: Due to recent budget cuts, the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil...plus the current state of the economy............the light at the end of the tunnel, has been turned off.

Comment

The A Frame pictured is the one I have. This link (no manufacturer since I am not sure which one I want) is what I was thinking I would have to buy to do the jobs the A frame couldn't find, or at least help me find it faster.

"all I am trying to say is if you have a 100" length one can test, and you can determan the resitance of the retrun path,
(earth or other wire) of the same known distance, and it reads XX.x ohms, then if the reading you get is halve of that value, you can make a guess that the short is about 50 feet out or if it is double, then it may be about 200 feet," I also have heard it being done the way you mention. I thought about this but I was thinking, wouldn't the severity of the wire damage give a higher or lower reading no matter where the break was?

Comment

That vlocpro2 doesn't look much different than an sr-20 except for the bluetooth capability.

I think you are better off with a tdr. You can get them from GErents to name one. Most places that rent test equipment will have them for rent. We just located a couple faults using one in some direct bury power cables for parking lot and roadway lighting. Didn't have to rent as the company owns a couple of them but i know they can be rented. Ypu should only need it for a dayto map out your faults; i mean the faults in the cable not YOUR faults

"When we build let us think we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work that our descendants will thank us for, and let us think, as we lay stone upon stone, that a time is to come when these stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, "See! This our fathers did for us."
John Ruskin (1819 - 1900)

"When we build let us think we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work that our descendants will thank us for, and let us think, as we lay stone upon stone, that a time is to come when these stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, "See! This our fathers did for us."
John Ruskin (1819 - 1900)

Rick, are you paying attention? Don't let us get ahead of you in the M&TE department.
Or do you already have one.

"When we build let us think we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work that our descendants will thank us for, and let us think, as we lay stone upon stone, that a time is to come when these stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, "See! This our fathers did for us."
John Ruskin (1819 - 1900)